Habilidades de expresión oral: 48 técnicas y frases esenciales

"Long time no see!"

A friendly greeting for someone you have not seen in a while.

"Long time no see! How have things been going since you moved to the new city?"

"What brings you here today?"

A polite way to ask why someone has come to a place or event.

"What brings you here today? I didn't know you were interested in photography exhibitions."

"I couldn't help but overhear…"

A polite opener to join a conversation you accidentally heard.

"I couldn't help but overhear you mention the conference — I'm attending too!"

"Speaking of which…"

A transition phrase to connect what was just said to a new but related point.

"Speaking of which, I read a great article about remote work productivity just yesterday."

"I hate to cut this short, but…"

A polite way to signal you need to end the conversation.

"I hate to cut this short, but I really have to catch my train in ten minutes."

"It was great catching up!"

A warm closing phrase used after reconnecting with someone you know.

"It was great catching up! Let's not leave it so long next time — shall we meet for coffee?"

"Let's pick this up another time."

A friendly way to postpone continuing a conversation to a later occasion.

"Let's pick this up another time — I'd love to hear more about your travels in Japan."

"Don't be a stranger!"

An informal farewell encouraging the other person to stay in touch.

"Don't be a stranger! You know where to find me if you ever need anything."

"As far as I'm concerned…"

Used to introduce your personal opinion, often implying others may disagree.

"As far as I'm concerned, the new policy does more harm than good for small businesses."

"If you ask me…"

An informal phrase signalling you are about to share an unsolicited but honest opinion.

"If you ask me, the simplest solution is usually the most effective one in the long run."

"It's my understanding that…"

Used to share what you believe to be true, while allowing for the possibility of error.

"It's my understanding that the deadline was moved to next Friday, not this one."

"I'd argue that…"

A slightly formal phrase used to put forward a point you are prepared to defend.

"I'd argue that reading widely is the single most powerful way to expand your vocabulary."

"From where I stand…"

A phrase emphasising that your opinion comes from your own position or experience.

"From where I stand, the team has made remarkable progress despite the tight budget."

"That's a valid point, however…"

Acknowledges the other person's idea before politely introducing a counter-argument.

"That's a valid point, however, the data we collected tells a slightly different story."

"I see your point, but…"

A diplomatic way to partially agree while still disagreeing or adding nuance.

"I see your point, but cutting costs at this stage could actually slow down our growth."

"Would it be fair to say that…?"

A tentative phrase checking whether your interpretation or summary is accurate.

"Would it be fair to say that both teams contributed equally to the final outcome?"

"Could you run that by me again?"

A natural, informal request to hear something repeated because you missed or didn't understand it.

"Sorry, could you run that by me again? I missed the last part about the new schedule."

"What exactly do you mean by…?"

Used to ask for a more precise explanation of a specific word or phrase.

"What exactly do you mean by 'flexible arrangement'? Are you thinking of part-time hours?"

"If I've understood you correctly…"

A phrase used to paraphrase what you heard in order to confirm your interpretation.

"If I've understood you correctly, you want the report ready by Thursday morning — is that right?"

"Are we on the same page?"

An informal expression checking that everyone in a conversation agrees or has the same understanding.

"Before we move on, are we on the same page about who is responsible for client communication?"

"Could you elaborate on that?"

A polite request for more detail, explanation, or examples about something just said.

"That's interesting — could you elaborate on that point about consumer behaviour in the digital age?"

"Let me make sure I've got this right…"

A self-checking phrase used before you summarise or paraphrase what you have heard.

"Let me make sure I've got this right — the launch is on the 15th and you need drafts by the 10th."

"What do you mean, exactly?"

A direct but polite request for clarification when something is ambiguous or confusing.

"What do you mean, exactly? Are you saying the project has been cancelled or just postponed?"

"Does that make sense?"

A check-in phrase used by a speaker to confirm the listener has followed their explanation.

"So you add the base rate and then multiply by the index — does that make sense to you so far?"

"Absolutely, I couldn't agree more."

A strong, enthusiastic way to express full agreement with what someone has said.

"Absolutely, I couldn't agree more — teamwork is the foundation of any successful company."

"That's not quite how I see it."

A polite and indirect way to disagree without being confrontational.

"That's not quite how I see it — I think the market research actually supports the opposite conclusion."

"I'm inclined to agree, although…"

Signals partial agreement while preparing to add a condition, qualification, or counter-point.

"I'm inclined to agree, although I do think we should wait for the full financial report first."

"I take your point, but…"

Acknowledges you have heard and considered the other view before presenting your own.

"I take your point, but we also need to consider the impact on our existing customer base."

"You could argue either way."

Used to acknowledge that a topic has strong points on both sides and no clear winner.

"You could argue either way — both candidates have impressive credentials and different strengths."

"It's a bit of a grey area."

Describes a situation that is not clearly right or wrong, legal or illegal, good or bad.

"Whether that counts as plagiarism is a bit of a grey area under the current academic guidelines."

"I'm not entirely convinced."

A measured, polite way to express scepticism or doubt about an idea or argument.

"I'm not entirely convinced that switching platforms will solve the underlying usability issues."

"To be fair…"

Used to introduce a more balanced or charitable interpretation of someone's actions or words.

"To be fair, she had very little time to prepare the presentation and still delivered it well."

"You won't believe what happened."

A hook phrase used to grab a listener's attention before telling an exciting or surprising story.

"You won't believe what happened on my way to the airport — the whole journey was a disaster."

"The thing is…"

Used to introduce the main point, problem, or complication in a story or explanation.

"The thing is, no one had told the new manager about the change in the approval process."

"Picture this…"

An invitation for the listener to visualise a scene, often used to set up a vivid description.

"Picture this: a tiny café in Paris, a rainy afternoon, and a stranger sitting at your table."

"It's hard to describe, but…"

Used when a feeling, experience, or place is complex or unusual and difficult to put into words.

"It's hard to describe, but the atmosphere at the festival felt completely unlike anything I'd experienced."

"One thing led to another…"

A storytelling shortcut implying a sequence of connected events without detailing each step.

"One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had agreed to run a half-marathon for charity."

"To cut a long story short…"

A phrase signalling you are about to summarise a long or complicated story quickly.

"To cut a long story short, we missed the flight, lost our luggage, but still had an amazing trip."

"It was nothing short of…"

Used to emphasise how extreme or remarkable something was, usually something positive.

"The performance was nothing short of breathtaking — the audience gave a ten-minute standing ovation."

"In a nutshell…"

A phrase introducing a brief, clear summary of a complex situation or explanation.

"In a nutshell, the project failed because of poor planning and a lack of clear communication."

"That's a good question…"

A classic stall phrase that acknowledges the question while giving you a moment to formulate your answer.

"That's a good question — let me think about that for a second before I give you a full answer."

"How can I put this…?"

Used when you are searching for the right words to express something delicate, complex, or unusual.

"How can I put this… the feedback I received wasn't exactly what I was hoping to hear."

"What I'm trying to say is…"

A recovery phrase used when you feel your explanation has become unclear and you want to restart.

"What I'm trying to say is that the current approach simply isn't sustainable in the long term."

"Bear with me for a moment."

A polite request for patience while you think, check information, or organise your thoughts.

"Bear with me for a moment — I want to look at the figures before I commit to a number."

"Now, where was I?"

Used to find your place again after a digression, interruption, or moment of distraction.

"Sorry, I got a bit sidetracked — now, where was I? Oh yes, the second stage of the process."

"Actually, come to think of it…"

A natural transition phrase used when a new, relevant thought suddenly occurs to you mid-conversation.

"Actually, come to think of it, I did see a similar product being sold at the trade fair last year."

"Let me think about how to phrase this."

An honest and natural way to signal you need a brief pause to choose your words carefully.

"Let me think about how to phrase this — I want to make sure I explain it without causing confusion."

"In other words…"

Used to rephrase or simplify a previous statement to make it clearer or easier to understand.

"In other words, if we don't act now, the window of opportunity will close within six months."